Lubbock suffering shortage

Blood bank officials blame the busy holiday season and a nasty flu epidemic for critical shortages of blood in El Paso and Lubbock.

Some surgeries have been canceled in El Paso hospitals because of the shortage, said Elizabeth Escobar, technical director for the United Blood Service of El Paso.

"The thing about blood is that it's like water. You don't miss it until it's gone," she told the El Paso Times. "It's not a commodity you can buy off a shelf."

United Blood Services of Lubbock is experiencing a critical blood shortage due to the recent holidays and an outbreak of colds and flu.

The agency is seeking blood donors or organizations to sponsor a blood drive.

"Lubbock needs an average of 150 units a day," said Casey Carson, a community relations representative with UBS. "Usually we collect 60 to 70 each day, but we're way below that right now."

To meet the remaining need in the Lubbock area, UBS must get blood supplies from other blood banks.

"We're not self-sufficient," Carson said. "It's tough because the other blood banks are going to fill their hospitals' needs first."

During the past three days, UBS has needed more than 300 pints of blood to meet the requests of local hospitals. However, during that same period, fewer than 20 pints have been collected.

Lisa Fults, blood bank supervisor for Columbia Medical West, said she has never seen the kind of shortage that El Paso is dealing with anywhere else.

"I've worked in Houston and we've had shortages, but nothing like this," she said. "Doctors are constantly asking for blood, and we don't have any. It's terrible and there's nothing I can do about this."

Leslie Searcey, manager of recruiting for the Texas Department of Health's blood bank, said she has seen a steady decrease in donations to the agency that supplies blood for 10 Central Texas counties.

In 1997, the blood bank took in 46,911 units. The bank expected to draw only 42,000 in 1999. Blood transfusions for cancer patients are on the rise, draining already limited supplies, Searcey said.

"And not enough people are donating to make up the difference," Searcey said.